


Not So Strange

by Gates_of_Ember



Series: Maiden Voyage [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Fluff, M/M, No Sex, shower
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 13:03:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9821705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gates_of_Ember/pseuds/Gates_of_Ember
Summary: Nico did try to go back to sleep when Will pulled away to take a shower.  Nico wasn’t fond of mornings – never had been.  But the wordsI’m going to take a showerreplayed in his mind and suddenly the image of a very wet and very naked Will Solace was etched into the backs of Nico’s eyelids.And Nico knew that he wasn’t going to get any sleep with that picture stuck in his head.





	

Nico woke up warm.  He always woke up warm when Will slept in his room.  Although Will’s body ran hot, he was sensitive to the cold and always slept as close to Nico as he could get.

He realized what had woken him when Will moved again, this time pulling away and leaving Nico cold.  Even though Will didn’t have his first class until late in the morning, he was always up early and couldn’t stay in bed for very long after he woke up. 

Nico cracked his eyes open and looked over his shoulder.  He wasn’t sure how Will managed to make bedhead look sexy, but he was going to take advantage of every chance he got to look at him.

“Morning,” Will mumbled, kissing Nico’s forehead.  “Do you want me to go pick up some breakfast?”

Nico smiled and nodded.  Sometimes, Will liked to do that for Nico; he’d run out to the campus café and grab a to-go box, and then he’d bring it back so that the two of them could eat together in Nico’s dorm room.  Nico didn’t think that a morning bird like Will and a night owl like Nico would normally make very compatible bedmates, but they made it work.  Will let him sleep (unless he deemed that Nico had truly been sleeping _way_ too long) and he took advantage of the time that Nico was asleep to get ready or to do something nice for him. 

“What do you want me to get for you?” Will asked. 

“Mm, egg and bacon taco,” Nico answered, rolling back over and closing his eyes in an attempt to snag some more sleep before he had to get up. 

“Okay,” Will said, pressing a kiss to Nico’s shoulder.  “I’m going to take a shower before I run out.  Go ahead and rest.”

Nico did try to go back to sleep when Will pulled away.  Nico wasn’t fond of mornings – never had been.  But the words _I’m going to take a shower_ replayed in his head and suddenly the image of a very wet and very naked Will Solace was etched into the backs of Nico’s eyelids.  He heard the door to the bathroom attached to his room open and close, and then the sound of Will stripping off his clothes. 

And Nico _knew_ that he wasn’t going to get any sleep with that picture stuck in his mind.

He shook his head, scolding himself for thinking of that.  Will was just going to take a _shower._ Everyone took showers.  There was nothing sexy about a shower. 

But showers were warm.  Showers were wet.  Showers made you clean.  Nico liked showers.  He especially liked showers that held his very attractive boyfriend.  He wanted to be in the shower with said boyfriend.  He wanted to shampoo Will’s hair, wanted to rub soap into his skin, wanted to look and touch and....

What was he thinking?  That was weird, wasn’t it?  Showers were for cleaning, not for fueling sensual fantasies.

But who was to dictate what was weird, anyway?  Nico used to think that being _gay_ was weird.  Maybe wanting to take a shower with the person you loved wasn’t so strange. 

Swallowing, Nico pulled back the covers and stepped out of bed, nervously making his way over to the bathroom door.  He took a deep breath before knocking, and when he heard Will call, “Yeah?”, he cracked the door open to talk to him.

“Do you mind if I come in for a second?” he asked.

“Sure,” Will answered, so Nico stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

“C-can we talk about something?” he stammered.

“Yeah, of course,” Will said.  “I’ll be out in a minute, can it wait?”

“Uh, no,” Nico answered.  “It can’t.”

There was a pause, then Will poked his head around the shower curtain.  “What’s up?” he asked.  The water had turned Will’s blond hair darker, to a shade close to caramel.  Nico wanted to touch it.

“C-can I join you?” he asked, looking at his hands while he uncertainly fiddled with the end of his t-shirt.

Will was silent for a moment, but Nico was too nervous to look up and check his expression.  He kept his eyes on his fingers and on the tiled floor of the bathroom until Will said, “Uh...you mean...in the shower?”

Nico nodded.  He glanced up, but didn’t quite meet Will’s eyes.

There was another pause, then Will said, “Okay.”

Nico wasn’t sure if he’d expected Will to turn him down, but he felt a jolt of surprise when Will agreed.  “Okay,” he said back.  “Um...let me get undressed?”

“Y-yeah,” Will said, and he disappeared behind the shower curtain again. 

Nico realized that he hadn’t considered the fact that if he were in the shower with Will, he’d have to be naked, too.  That put a little twist in his plan.  Nico reminded himself that he and Will had seen each other naked _before._ It wasn’t like this was anything new.  Chewing at his lip nervously, Nico tugged his shirt off and pulled down his sweatpants and boxers, then took a deep breath and slipped inside the shower.  He sighed when he felt the water, realizing that he and Will liked to take showers at exactly the same temperature.

Will’s body was facing the opposite direction, but he looked over his shoulder as Nico stepped in.  He blushed when he saw Nico and averted his eyes, like he wasn’t sure if he should look or not.  Nico wasn’t sure either, but the stall was so small that there was barely enough room to fit the two of them.  They didn’t have many other places to look.  Clearing his throat, he looked down at the water going down the drain.  “Can I wash your hair?” he asked.

“My...hair?” Will repeated.

Nico cleared his throat and realized that he could detect the scent of pomegranates in the air, meaning that Will had already borrowed Nico’s shampoo.  He opened his mouth to say it was okay if he’d already finished and that maybe he could some other time, but Will suddenly said, “Uh...yeah.  Yeah.”

Nico decided not to question him.  Instead, he reached for his shampoo bottle and worked it into a lather after he’d squirted some into his palm.  “Um...do you mind...?” Nico said vaguely, looking up at Will and realizing it would be difficult to reach the top of his head.

Will seemed to follow Nico’s thoughts, because he turned his face away and carefully moved to kneel down on the shower floor.  Nico took a breath before reaching out to gently touch Will’s hair.  He had to bite his lip to keep himself from sighing.  Will’s hair always felt soft, but when it was this wet, it felt silky smooth.  He rubbed his hands around Will’s scalp and massaged the shampoo into his head, his body blocking the spray of water to keep the soap from getting into Will’s eyes.  Nico noted that the tips of Will’s ears had gone red when he gathered up the hair on the sides of Will’s head.

“That...that feels nice,” Will said.

Nico wasn’t sure how to respond, so he ended up saying, “Good,” and then mentally kicked himself for sounding like an idiot.  “Uh...you can stand up now,” he added, having finished.

Will slowly got to his feet, careful not to slip on the wet floor.  They switched places so that Will could rinse off his hair, muttering a few awkward apologies when they brushed against each other in the cramped space.  Nico glanced at Will’s freckled chest before tearing his eyes away in embarrassment.

“I can do yours, too,” Will said shyly as he washed the bubbles out of his hair. 

Nico nodded quickly and said, “Yeah, okay.”  He turned his back as Will reached for the shampoo.

“Tilt your head up,” Will said as he put the bottle back down.  Nico obeyed, then he felt Will’s hands on his head, felt his fingertips kneading Nico’s scalp just hard enough for it to feel good.  He sighed in contentment and closed his eyes, allowing himself to relax into Will’s hands.  He was still feeling a bit tired – it really was too early in the morning for him to be awake – but the warmth the shower water and the caresses of Will’s gentle hands was slowly and comfortably waking him up.

When Will finished washing his hair, he kissed Nico’s shoulder and turned them so that Nico was under the steady stream of water.  He helped Nico rinse out the shampoo, kissing his shoulder, his cheek, and the crown of his head.  When the water sliding down Nico’s skin was free of suds, he turned around to meet Will’s lips.  The kiss was slow and sweet and Will’s hands stroked through his wet hair lovingly, caressing Nico like he was something truly precious.

“Is it okay if I wash your back?” Will asked, his voice barely audible over the sound of water hitting their bodies and the tiled walls and floor.

Nico nodded, his cheeks hot as he turned back around and Will reached for Nico’s wash cloth and soap.  Nico shivered when the fabric touched his shoulder, and Will quickly apologized as though he was afraid of scaring Nico off.  “It’s okay,” Nico said.  “I was just...startled.  Keep going.”

Will cleared his throat before touching him again.  He washed Nico gently, moving the cloth in slow, relaxing circles that made Nico want to lean back against Will and just stand in his arms.  He felt like Will was massaging away weeks of stress and removing layers and layers of grime.  When Will was finished with Nico’s back, he hesitantly touched Nico’s arm and started to wash there, too.  Nico obediently lifted his arms and let Will clean them from his shoulders to his hands.  He had to bite his lip to keep himself from giggling at the ticklish sensation of Will washing in between his fingers, and when he failed to hold back a light laugh, Will pressed his lips to Nico’s neck and laughed, too.

“Do you mind if I keep going?” Will asked softly.  “I...I can wash the rest of you, too.  I promise not to start anything.”

“I know; I trust you,” Nico answered.  “But I might get a little...you know.”  He didn’t trust his body to not get aroused if Will kept touching him.  “So don’t freak out if....”

“I wouldn’t,” Will promised.  “I might get a little ‘you know,’ too.”

Nico nodded.  “Okay.  Then...go ahead.”

Will took Nico’s shoulders and gently turned him around before he started to wash Nico’s chest with the same slow, soothing patterns he’d used when washing his back.  Nico closed his eyes and tilted his head back, enjoying the soothing warmth of the water as it hit his scalp and slid down his shoulders.  Will kissed him every now and then – his lips, his neck, his brow – and _oh,_ it felt good to be enveloped in the heat of water and steam, to accept the subtle, delicate movements of Will’s hands working over his body, and to feel the soft press of Will’s lips on his skin....

Nico gave a start when the cloth touched his groin, but he didn’t pull away.  There was nothing sexual about the way Will touched him; Will wasn’t looking for anything more than what they were already doing.  It was true that Nico felt a jolt of arousal when Will caressed him there, but it was more of a slow, purring contentment than the roar of desire that came with sex. 

Nico flushed when Will knelt in front of him to wash his legs, embarrassed by how hard he’d gotten.  Will didn’t say anything about it, though, and Nico relaxed when Will pressed a kiss to Nico’s kneecap before working the wash cloth over his calves.  Will kissed the curve of Nico’s hip as he moved to his thighs and Nico allowed himself to touch Will’s hair, admiring the darker shade it took while wet.  Will washed all the way down to Nico’s feet – even between his toes.  Nico couldn’t remember when he’d last taken the time to clean himself so thoroughly.

He’d have to shower with Will more often.

Will took Nico’s hand from his hair and kissed it before standing back up and pressing his lips to Nico’s.  “I can wash you, too,” Nico offered when Will pulled back and rested their foreheads together.

“Okay,” Will said.  “But just...just the top.  I, uh, I might get kinda worked up and I don’t want....”

Nico nodded in understanding.  He didn’t want anything more, either.  Not right then, at least.  “Maybe some other time, we could....”

Will nodded.  “Some other time,” he agreed.

When Nico picked up the spare wash cloth that Will used on himself, Will turned so that Nico could wash his back.  Will’s skin was smooth and warm under Nico’s hands, flushed pink from the shower’s steam.  When Will turned around and Nico washed his chest, Will leaned down and kissed him.  Their lips moved together slowly as Nico’s hands spread soap over Will’s skin.  Nico touched Will’s hair when Will bent down to wash his own legs, and when Will stood back up again, Nico wrapped his arms around Will’s back and kissed him.  Will hummed against his lips as he reached behind Nico and shut off the water.

They each grabbed a towel when they stepped out, shivering from the loss of the shower’s heat.  Will gathered Nico into his arms and they huddled together to keep warm, giggling and pecking each others’ lips, until they finally pulled apart and dried each others’ bodies.  When they finally left the bathroom, they ended up tumbling back into Nico’s bed and huddling together under the covers for a few more minutes before they managed to dress themselves.

“Should we go out for breakfast together?” Will asked, his hand slipping into Nico’s. 

Nico smiled and nodded.  “Breakfast tacos?”

“Breakfast tacos,” Will agreed.


End file.
